Private medical clinics encouraged

Doctors in Beijing who plan to set up private clinics must have five consecutive years of work experience in a medical specialty, according to the latest government guide on the management of private clinics, the Beijing News reported.

Zhong Dongbo, vice director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Population and Family Planning, said the market for non-government-funded medical institutions is still undeveloped, accounting for 17.2 percent of total medial resources in Beijing. The government this year announced that doctors are encouraged to open private clinics in residential complexes so as to provide better services to the public.